How your agency can close more deals

I was recently asked in the DMs, “How can I close more deals?”

It's an alarmingly common question. With a well-thought-out strategy and a defined process, you can turn prospects into clients with greater consistency.

Below are several lessons I've learned after years of selling for my three digital marketing agencies.

Tactic 1: Waive off red flags

The first step in closing more deals is recognizing potential red flags early in the sales process. If a prospective client demands pricing information before meeting with you, it’s a sign that they are price shopping. These clients prioritize cost over value and results. Instead of giving in, insist on a meeting to discuss their needs and see if there’s a fit. If they refuse, it's best to walk away.

Never give them pricing without walking them through your process. It's a total waste of time. I'm not saying drag the process out. You can accelerate the timeline if needed, but no matter what, walk through each step of your process. Never ever reply to a cold email with your pricing sheet ... 100% waste of effort.

Another red flag is when a client is unwilling to share information about their problems or goals during your meetings. Transparency is crucial for a successful partnership. If they are evasive or treat you and your team poorly, it's better to avoid them altogether. Clients who are difficult from the start often remain challenging throughout the relationship.

A third red flag is if you are kept far away from the decision maker. I can understand talking with a second in command at a company, but when there's a 3rd party intermediary or a rigid process imposed by the prospect (i.e, an RFP process) that blocks you from having any discussions with the decision maker...run. These situations have never worked out well for me. They either never materialize after I burned countless hours trying to get the gig, or if I did get it, it was a total shit show because I didn't get the right information at the beginning of the project. These situations are just a mess from start to finish. No thanks!

Tactic 2: Define your sales process

It’s crucial to define your sales process before ever speaking with a prospective client.

Set expectations from the beginning about your process, the steps involved, and the timeline is essential. This clarity ensures that both parties are on the same page.

Don’t let the client wildly alter or shortcut your process. If they try, it's a huge red flag indicating they will try to over-control the entire engagement. Remember, you are in charge of the process from the start, ensuring a smooth and effective path to closing the deal.

Tactic 3: Initial meetings

After filtered out the less desirable prospects, it’s time to engage with the serious ones. Begin with a quick, 15-minute video meeting to understand their situation. If the situation is clearly not a fit or you cannot help them, cut them loose. But if you do so, it's professional courtesy to connect them with another agency or solution that can help them. If more than a 15-minute call is needed, schedule a follow-up.

During these initial interactions, it’s essential to ask comprehensive questions to fully understand the client’s challenges, success metrics, current providers, and what they hope to achieve by hiring you.

Be sure to ask about the specific problems they are facing and how these issues are impacting their business. Ask how they intend to judge success and what metrics they use to measure it. Understanding who their current providers are and the level of success they are having with them provides insight into what might not be working and where you can offer improvement.

Ask specifics about their budget constraints. Also, ask if they have any hard deadlines and what achieving success would mean for them personally and professionally.

This helps tailor your solutions to fit their financial constraints and timeframes. Knowing what success means to them personally and professionally can also provide valuable context for your proposal.

Tactic 4: Audit their current marketing

Between the initial meeting and the follow-up, conduct a thorough audit of their current digital marketing efforts. Start by evaluating their website to identify any problems or areas for improvement. Look for issues such as poor site structure, slow loading times, weak SEO, and lack of mobile responsiveness. Examine their digital marketing strategies, including social media presence, content quality, and advertising. Determine how you can provide value by addressing these specific issues.

For instance, if their website has a high bounce rate, propose solutions to enhance user experience and retain visitors. If their social media engagement is low, suggest strategies to boost interaction and reach. This assessment, combined with the insights gathered from your initial meeting, will form the basis of your recommendations. This will ensure your solutions are tailored to their needs, making your proposal compelling.

Tactic 5: Present Tailored Solutions

In the follow-up meeting, present your findings from the audit. Reiterate the client’s problems and the financial impact of these issues. Then, propose your solutions, clearly outlining how your services can alleviate their pain points.

Proactively address common objections, showing that you’ve thought through potential concerns and are a pro at doing what you do. Share projected engagement milestones assuming they sign in a reasonable amount of time. Be sure to first define what "reasonable" is... a week, a month... that's your call.

Before proceeding, ask if they have any questions. Is there anything specific they'd like changed? If so, address those concerns until they run out of objections.

Tactic 6: Ask for the Commitment

During the presentation, gauge the client’s interest. Ask if the proposal meets their needs and fits their budget. Encourage them to explicitly request a contract of you before you offer to send the contract. A good technique is to ask, What would you like to do next? They'll often respond by asking for the contract. This ensures they are genuinely interested and reduces the risk of wasted effort.

If they say they want to think about it, ask them what in particular is a concern. Get details. Get specific things they want to think about, and address those concerns on the spot.

If they ask for references, remind them that you have tons of reviews and case studies on your Facebook, Google Business Profile, and your website. You have those, right? If not, draft them ASAP and ask past clients for a testimonial.

Try to not let them off the hook until they ask for the contract. If they push you off and say they need time, book a future meeting right then. Schedule the meeting for 2-3 days later. That at least gets some sort of commitment from them to do something in the future to move the deal along.

Tactic 7: Make it easy to buy from you!

When the client asks for a contract, make it as easy as possible for them to sign. Fill out as much of the contract as you can, including services and pricing of your recommendations. Don't make them work for it - don't make them select from your total list of services. Only include what you're selling to them.

Make it very easy to comprehend the contract. At this stage, eliminate the marketing fluff from your contract. This is not a time to market yourself and your awesomeness - it's a time to close the deal.

Send it electronically for a quick and convenient signature (we use Dropbox Sign, but there are many alternatives available).

Although it could be helpful to fill out publicly available details, such as the client’s name, address, and basic company information, I've found it to inject errors, so we don't do that. We let them fill that out, at least for their first contract. This ensures we get the right data, especially when it comes to legal names, billing addresses, and points of contact on their end. This step, though small, can make the onboarding process and the engagement much more smooth.

Tactic 8: Follow up

Do not follow up so much that you look desperate. Try to keep the attitude that they are not the prize you're chasing. You are the prize they're chasing.

Never, I repeat never, call and say you're, "just checking in." It's weak AF. Instead, come up with other reasons to call. Call and confirm that they received the contract. Ask if they have any questions. Ask when they'd like to get started. Let them know you're about to get busy, but can squeeze them in if they sign by the end of the week, otherwise you'll have to push back the start date. By the way, I'm not telling you to lie, but if the truth is that they should sign sooner or there will be a backup, let them know.

If you can't get their attention, and you want the work, do something different. Send them a pizza with a note welcoming them to your agency. That'll get their attention.

Success!

Once the contract is signed, you’ve successfully converted a prospect into a client. Celebrate and use the experience to refine your process for future deals.

Closing more deals involves a combination of filtering out bad clients, conducting thorough assessments, presenting tailored solutions, and making the contract process straightforward. By following these steps, you can increase your conversion rate and build stronger client relationships.

The sales process is an evolving journey. Continuously refine your approach based on past experiences and client feedback. Stay committed to providing value, and you’ll find yourself closing more deals and driving success for your business.

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I hope this helps.

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